I was making Macarons for family (Lemon basil flavored). A tiny bit of yolk got my meringue. IT WORKED. Which is good because I only have one egg left.
I literally just found a way and I am excited, so you are going to take a new egg white and you are going to beat it until stiff peaks and slowly add your failed meringue and whip it until stiff peaks. It actually works!!!
I have had this fail so many times. THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! It worked like a charm. As a matter of fact it worked so well these are possibly the fluffiest meringue cookies I have ever made. I was able to get to stiff peak quick and easy. I was making the meringue red for the "little Red Devil" cookies for Halloween. Even adding liquid food color with my gel they came out perfect.
IT WORKS!!!! I love you for posting this!!!! I tried two times to make a meringue recipe by Ottolenghi, never got stiff peaks. When the third resulted the same, I was about to call it quit when my husband found this tip and persuaded me to try. AND IT WORKS!!!!!
I find that not adding the sugar gradually does flatten my meringue. I suggest restarting, but this time make sure that you start with just the egg whites in the bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add a little bit of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form again, repeat this until all sugar is incorporated. Same goes for any other ingredients. I hate wasting, but there really is no way to save it.
It happened to me today because I was impatient, I also died it purple. You just can’t save it, I have been beating mine for over 30 minutes and it’s still liquid. I put some in the oven, but that didn’t work either.
Boulangere pretty much said it all. I'll just add that don't know what your weather is like right now, but meringue doesn't like humid weather. I generally resist the urge to make pavlovas or meringue topped desserts in the summer. No need to court disappointment.
When making any kind of meringue, it is essential that the egg whites be absolutely free of any trace of yolk. Too, your bowl and whip should likewise be free of any trace of fat. Lipids, or fats, cause the long strands of ovalbumen (the principle protein in egg whites) to quite literally slip apart. Hence, a meringue that you can whip from now until Tuesday, and it isn't ever going to firm up. You're best off to discard them, call it a learning experience, and start all over again.
P.S. When storing egg whites in either the freezer or refrigerator, it's best not to store them in a plastic container. Plastic holds onto fats that have been stored in it previously.
Hmm....I think you need to use a new set of egg whites. Not sure why yours did not stiffen though. I don't think that not putting the sugar gradually would be the main cause. Maybe your egg white had some egg yolk.... Are you using an electric beater? I say to throw this batch and start all over. Also, once you separate the egg whites, it is good to let them sit to room temperature, or even put the bowl that contains the egg whites into another bowl of very warm water. This will warm them up a bit and help you achieve greater volume.
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It happened to me today because I was impatient, I also died it purple. You just can’t save it, I have been beating mine for over 30 minutes and it’s still liquid. I put some in the oven, but that didn’t work either.
P.S. When storing egg whites in either the freezer or refrigerator, it's best not to store them in a plastic container. Plastic holds onto fats that have been stored in it previously.